In between the arms was a capsule – a mini submersible that was an escape pod of sorts. The problem was, it was no bigger than a coffin, and was designed for one, maybe two people. Jack had told her the Priz class had been modified in the last decade to give it a sleeker design, and more safety features – the pod being one of them. This was following an incident in 2005 where an older model had got itself entangled in cables on an underwater hydrophone array off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Six hundred feet down, the thick steel cables defied being untangled, moved or cut.

The men were trapped on the seafloor for seventy-six hours before a British remotely-operated vehicle with advanced equipment only just managed to sever the coils of steel with only a few hours of air remaining.  Looking at the pregnant, vitamin-capsule shape, she couldn’t imagine what it looked like before its slim-down makeover.

Cate went to step up onto the first rung of the ladder, when Sonya held up a hand.

“Wait.”

“Huh?” Cate jerked back a step.

Sonya was already scaling the steps like a monkey, and quickly dropped down through the hatch.

“What’s with that?” Cate asked Mironov, feeling pissed off by his assistant.

Mironov shrugged, and grinned. “It’s okay, Cate. Ms Borashev just likes to be thorough in regards to security.”

Yeah right; like what’s she going to be able to do, anyway? Cate wondered. She folded her arms, tight, and glared at Jack for no reason.

In another minute Sonya climbed back out and down. She spoke softly to Mironov, and the Russian billionaire nodded as he listened. He then turned to Cate and graced her with a small bow. “Mission leaders first.”

“Thank you.” Cate climbed the ladder, and was about to drop down in through the hatch, when she looked back down at the crew. There were smiles, grins of excitement and some of nerves. She also saw Valery still talking softly to Sonya. He reached up to brush a strand of loose hair from her forehead. She could clearly see the look of adoration in Sonya’s eyes. Definitely something there, she thought, as she dropped down into the cabin.

Cate was immediately assaulted by the smells – oil, stale air, and ancient body odor. The submarine was as cramped as she expected. It looked like a combination of spaceship and electronics workshop with walls of equipment, small screens everywhere, and the lighting inside was a dull red. The design was probably practical and functional, but the Russians sure didn’t believe in aesthetics or comfort.